The Kansas City Chiefs may have received a big boost as far as the outlook of their 2024/25 NFL season goes as Rashee Rice was spotted at the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul after party on Friday, November 15, as he bids to recover from an LCL injury.
The 24-year-old appeared at the AT&T Stadium before later appearing at the Rayleigh Underground in Dallas, his home outside of Missouri, looking all smiles and without pain as the receiver continues his rehab.
He is expected to be out for the remainder of the season after having his hamstring repaired following the nasty injury against the Los Angeles Chargers, and underwent surgery in October, with 2025 being eyed as his realistic return.
Through the opening three games he completed in, he made 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns and emerged as the team’s lead target as Patrick Mahomes favored him over Travis Kelce.
But with injuries to Rice, along with Hollywood Brown and Isiah Pacheco whilst Clyde Edwards-Helaire continues to miss time, that has allowed the tight end to have a resurgence in form and he takes over as Mahomes’ number one target in the pass game again.
How could Aaron Rodgers hint at Rice’s 2024 return?
Rice, who is not thought to return to the field at the Arrowhead Stadium in the 2024/25 season, is showing encouraging progress as he attends the party and looks to be without any discomfort.
However, that doesn’t mean a return to high-performance and elite athleticism is close. Yet based on Aaron Rodgers, it’s far from impossible that he may strap on his armor and helmet again this campaign.
In Week 1 of the 2023/24 campaign on September 11, the New York Jets’ quarterback suffered an Achilles tear and was expected to be out for the duration of the season. However, after pushing himself the 39-year-old managed to get off the injured reserve by December 20.
Now Rice, who is 15 years younger, will likely recover faster than an almost-40-year-old. But assuming he takes the same amount of time of 100 days then he could, in theory, come off the injured reserve list by January 7, 2025.
So he could be available just after the Chiefs complete their final game of the regular season against the Denver Broncos and thus be able to contribute to a playoff run, although with differing injuries between Rice and Rodgers, that remains to be seen.